The Sinaloa Cartel (CDS) is rapidly spreading its operational capacity throughout a Mexican border state near Texas with the help of corrupt officials. Controlling parts of Nuevo Leon could eventually give the organization an entirely new foothold in the U.S.–such as the southernmost segments of the I-35 corridor.
Authorities in Mexico first began documenting the appearance of the Sinaloa Cartel, also known as “La Chapiza or Fuerzas Especiales 40,” earlier this year in Montemorelos. The criminal organization has since established presences in the towns of Allende and General Teran, plus suburbs in the Monterrey area to include San Pedro, Apodaca, Cadereyta, and Escobedo. Though Sinaloa financial operators had already been in the border state, the violent enforcers were not.
Breitbart Texas consulted with U.S. law enforcement sources in Mexico who revealed additional information about the spread of the cartel. One of the key developments in uncovering the CDS operation came after the June arrest of Juan Pablo “El Yukon” Chapa Yerena in Montemorelos. He was a member of the Gulf Cartel who joined the CDS after his former bosses abandoned him in 2017.
El Yukon was leading a cell of CDS enforcers in Montemorelos who allegedly kidnapped and killed street-level dealers. According to the ongoing investigation, El Yukon worked with the blessing of Montemorelos Mayor Luis Fernando “El Dragón” Garza Guerrero and a local drug lord known only as “El Stripper,” who managed to keep a low profile while helping coordinate drug shipments.
Intelligence information shared with Breitbart Texas revealed that for at least six months, CDS cells used the ritzy entertainment district known as Centrito Valle in Monterrey for stashing drugs and weapons. The documents show that two CDS cell leaders currently known only as “El General” and “Chino” operate in the area.
As part of the investigation into CDS, the U.S. law enforcement sources revealed that gunmen are also using the wealthy suburb San Pedro to hide. Historically, San Pedro has been controlled by José Rodolfo “El Gato” Villarreal Hernández, a former commander with the Beltran Leyva Cartel who went independent and is on the FBI’s Most Wanted list. One of the theories under consideration by law enforcement sources suggests a cooperative truce is at work between the CDS cells and El Gato’s organization.
Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and senior Breitbart management. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at Iortiz@breitbart.com.
Brandon Darby is the managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and senior Breitbart management. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at bdarby@breitbart.com.
Gerald “Tony” Aranda is an international journalist with more than 20 years of experience working in high-risk areas for print and broadcast news outlets investigating organized crime, corruption, and drug trafficking in the U.S. and Mexico. In 2016, Gerald took up the pseudonym of “Tony” when he joined Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project. Since then, he has come out of the shadows and become a contributing writer for Breitbart Texas.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.